Meta Makes End-to-End Encryption a Default on Facebook Messenger

The META logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris in Paris, France on June 14, 2023. (AP)
The META logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris in Paris, France on June 14, 2023. (AP)
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Meta Makes End-to-End Encryption a Default on Facebook Messenger

The META logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris in Paris, France on June 14, 2023. (AP)
The META logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris in Paris, France on June 14, 2023. (AP)

Meta is rolling out end-to-end encryption for calls and messages across its Facebook and Messenger platforms, the company announced Thursday.

Such encryption means that no one other than the sender and the recipient — not even Meta — can decipher people’s messages. Encrypted chats, first introduced as an optional feature in Messenger in 2016, will now be the standard for all users going forward, according to Messenger head Loredana Crisan.

"This has taken years to deliver because we’ve taken our time to get this right," Crisan wrote in a blog post. "Our engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts and product managers have worked tirelessly to rebuild Messenger features from the ground up."

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised, back in 2019, to bring end-to-end encryption to its platforms after the social media company suffered a string of high-profile scandals, notably when Cambridge Analytica accessed user data on Facebook. Privacy advocates again shined a spotlight on Meta after Nebraska investigators reviewed private Facebook messages while investigating an abortion that violated a state 20-week ban.

Meta, whose WhatsApp platform already encrypts messages, said the feature can help keep users safe from hackers, fraudsters and criminals.

Meanwhile, encryption critics, law enforcement and even a Meta report released in 2022 note the risks of enhanced encryption, including users who could abuse the privacy feature to sexually exploit children, facilitate human trafficking and spread hate speech.

"What will Meta’s bosses say to children who have suffered sexual abuse, whose trauma will be compounded by their decision not to preserve their privacy? How will they justify turning a blind eye to this illegal and harmful content being spread via their platforms?" said Internet Watch Foundation chief executive Susie Hargreaves.

"The company has a strong track record in detecting large amounts of child sexual abuse material before it appears on its platforms. We urge Meta to continue this vital protection."

The new features will be available immediately, but Crisan wrote that it would take some time for the privacy feature to be rolled out to all of its users.



Albania TikTok Ban Sparks Debate over Freedom of Speech

The TikTok logo is displayed outside TikTok social media app company offices in Culver City, California, on March 16, 2023. (AFP)
The TikTok logo is displayed outside TikTok social media app company offices in Culver City, California, on March 16, 2023. (AFP)
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Albania TikTok Ban Sparks Debate over Freedom of Speech

The TikTok logo is displayed outside TikTok social media app company offices in Culver City, California, on March 16, 2023. (AFP)
The TikTok logo is displayed outside TikTok social media app company offices in Culver City, California, on March 16, 2023. (AFP)

Every evening, Ergus Katiaj uploads a video on TikTok reminding customers that his shop in Tirana delivers potato chips, cigarettes and alcohol through the night. His phone buzzes with orders that add about 1,000 euros to his monthly profit.

But Katiaj will soon have to find a new way to attract business. Albania's government has imposed a year-long ban on the social media app that it says is aimed at reducing youth violence but which rights groups and business owners say threatens commerce and free speech ahead of May elections.

"It will have a huge impact on my business because most of the sales are through delivery thanks to TikTok's free marketing," Katiaj said as he made deliveries across the outskirts of the capital, Reuters reported.

Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the ban on Dec. 21 after a 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death in November by a fellow pupil, a crime that local media reports said occurred after the boys clashed online. TikTok is expected to be taken down in the coming weeks.

The move follows bans or partial bans in at least 20 countries due to worries about improper videos or security concerns linked to the app's owner, China-based ByteDance, and its proximity to the Chinese government.

In Albania, Rama said the decision came after discussions with parents and teachers, but opponents worry that it is part of the prime minister's crackdown on political dissent after a year of popular unrest.

"This creates a dangerous precedent that at any moment governments can close different platforms," said Orkidea Xhaferaj, from the Tirana-based think tank SCiDEV.

TikTok said it was seeking "urgent clarity" from the Albanian government because it says "multiple reports have in fact confirmed videos leading up to this incident were being posted on another platform, not TikTok."

Albania saw regular violent protests last year against the jailing of political opponents. Demonstrators threw petrol bombs at government buildings and police responded with tear gas and water canons.

The leaders of the two biggest opposition parties, Sali Berisha of the Democratic Party and Ilir Meta of the Freedom Party, are charged with corruption offences. They deny the charges, which they say are politically motivated.

Arlind Qori, the leader of the political party Bashke (Together) formed in 2022, said the TikTok ban curtails a powerful opposition communication tool.

"He wants to close our mouth," Qori said from his office where party supporters took refuge from the cold and discussed their campaign plans.

Rama insists the move is meant to protect young people. In an alleyway in central Tirana, a photo of the slain schoolboy hangs on an electric pole surrounded by withered flowers and messages from friends.

He was stabbed there and walked towards his school bleeding before an ambulance came.

"Inside China's TikTok, you don't see hooliganism, perversity, violence, bullying, crime," Rama said when announcing his decision last month.

"While in TikTok outside of China only scum and scoundrels. Why do we need this?"